Cylinder and housing assembly for pneumatic tool

Abstract

A pneumatic tool has a one-piece metal tube forming an air motor cylinder and an associated air inlet plenum. Air passages are formed between an inner housing, molded in situ about the motor cylinder tube, and an outer housing separately molded. The inner and outer housings are both formed from a non-metal composite material which contributes to operator comfort by its light weight, thermal insulation, vibration damping, and noise suppressing properties. The tool may be assembled to provide forward exhaust, rearward exhaust, or combined forward and rearward exhaust.

We claim: 
     
       1. A fluid operated mechanism comprising: a cylinder having a fluid motor chamber and fluid inlet and exhaust ports on the circumferential surface of the cylinder in fluid communication with the motor chamber;   an inner housing formed in situ on the cylinder and having circumferentially adjacent fluid channels communicating with said inlet and exhaust ports extending axially along the surface of the inner housing thereby defining a fluid inlet channel and two mutually oppositely directed fluid exhaust channels; and   an outer housing sleeve surrounding the inner housing and fixed to the inner housing to seal the edges of the fluid channels so as to form fluid passageways, said sleeve having an opening at each axial end to permit flow of exhaust from one of said oppositely directed fluid exhaust channels.   
     
     
       2. The mechanism of claim 1 wherein said cylinder includes a fluid inlet plenum having a valve opening in fluid communication with the inlet fluid channel of the inner housing, said plenum lying within an axial extension of the cylinder containing said fluid motor chamber. 
     
     
       3. The mechanism of claim 1, further comprising: means for reversing and regulating exhaust flow to limit mass flow rate and to direct exhaust flow to a forward opening or a rearward opening of the outer housing sleeve.   
     
     
       4. The mechanism of claim 1, wherein exhaust fluid flow is directed to both the forward and rearward openings of the outer housing sleeve. 
     
     
       5. The mechanism of claim 1, wherein the cylinder is made from a metal alloy and the inner housing and outer housing sleeve are made from a non-metallic composite material. 
     
     
       6. A pneumatic tool comprising: a metal cylinder having a fluid motor chamber and fluid inlet and exhaust ports on the circumferential surface of the metal cylinder in fluid communication with the motor chamber;   a non-metallic composite material inner housing molded in situ to the cylinder and having circumferentially adjacent fluid channels communicating with said inlet and exhaust ports extending axially along the surface of the inner housing thereby defining a fluid inlet channel and two mutually oppositely directed fluid exhaust channels; and   a non-metallic composite outer housing sleeve surrounding the inner housing and bonded to the inner housing to seal the edges of the fluid channels so as to form fluid passageways, said sleeve having an opening at each axial end to permit flow of exhaust from one of said oppositely directed fluid exhaust channels.   
     
     
       7. The tool of claim 6 wherein said cylinder includes a fluid inlet plenum having a valve opening in fluid communication with the inlet fluid channel of the inner housing, said plenum lying within an axial extension of the cylinder containing said fluid motor chamber. 
     
     
       8. A fluid operated mechanism comprising: a metal cylinder having a fluid motor chamber and a fluid inlet plenum axially aligned and adjacent thereto;   fluid inlet and exhaust ports radially communicating with the motor chamber through a wall of the cylinder;   an inner non-metallic housing formed in situ on the outer surface of the cylinder and having circumferentially adjacent fluid channels communicating with said inlet and exhaust ports extending axially along the surface of the inner housing thereby defining a fluid inlet channel, a forward flow fluid exhaust channel, and a rearward flow fluid exhaust channel;   an outer housing sleeve having an opening at a forward axial end and at a rearward axial end, said sleeve surrounding the inner housing and bonded thereto to seal the edges of the channels to form fluid passageways; and   means for controlling the direction of exhaust flow.